


Love Is A Myth

by SkadiLothbrok



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Anger, Angst, F/M, Flashbacks, Humour, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28620825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkadiLothbrok/pseuds/SkadiLothbrok
Summary: Reader has pessimistic views on love - and people in general. What will happen when they cross paths with a man who doesn't believe he deserves it anyway?**currently on hold as I'm at a bit of a writers block with it at the moment**
Relationships: Eskel (The Witcher)/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	1. Denial

"I'm sure he's going to propose soon" the chipper voice of the woman on the next table reached your ears. It took an effort to hold back the scoff threatening to break free from you. The woman across from her did nothing to quell her excitement as she continued to gush over the supposed upcoming wedding. Continuing to drink your ale you observed the tavern around you, confident that your scowl convinced them all to leave you alone. 

You knew full well that the woman's boyfriend spent most weekends in the local whorehouse. And that the woman's supposed friend had even spent the odd night here and there with him. The situation only served to sour your already pessimistic outlook on relationships further. People couldn't be trusted. You'd learned that from an early age. Another thing you'd learnt was that love didn't exist outside of old wives' tales and myths.

Finishing what was left of your drink, you placed the mug back on the table before standing to leave. A few people whispered about you as you passed them but you didn't care. Let them talk, what did it matter to you. They disliked you and you hated people in general.

You'd reached the door just in time for it to practically fly off the hinges, knocking you off balance and bruising your left arm and cheek. The room fell silent as they waited for what happened next. The last thing you expected whoever had done this to do was barge through the door regardless of you. Your mouth hung open in shock as you stared at the back of the man in question. 

"Hey asshole!" you called out to him. If it had been possible, the tavern grew even more silent. When the man turned to you, you understood their concern. It was a witcher who stood before you, eyebrow raised in challenge. That wasn't enough to stop you though "you barge into every tavern like a brute?" you scoffed "regardless, you hit me moron".

If the look on his face was anything to go by, he obviously hadn't expected your comment. You weren't bothered by it though, you stood your ground and crossed your arms over your chest. Upon realising you weren't going to back down he moved closer until he was right in front of your face. Unbothered by this, you narrowed your eyes and glared back at him. 

Eventually, something seemed to change in his expression and he had the audacity to shoot you a grin. "I apologise for my actions" he spoke with more drama than needed "I will be sure to be more careful if we cross path's again".

Since that seemed to be the best you were going to get you shook your head at him before turning and walking away. "I'd rather we simply didn't cross path's again witcher". Ignoring the stares of disbelief from the locals you left the tavern and made your way to your horse.

"Oh for fuck sake" you scoffed as you entered the stable "there a damned witcher convention on or something?"

The man looked at you in shock, clearly confused by your comment and attitude. "Do I know you?"

You let out a laugh as you moved past him to your horse "Your friend made enough of an impression for the both of you". As you untied your horse you pushed past him once again and mounted your horse.

\---

All Eskel could do was watch the woman disappear from sight. He had no idea what Geralt could've possible done in the short time that he'd been stabling the horses? Setting off to figure out just that he was soon sat across from his brother in the tavern "it seems you've lost your charm with the women". 

Geralt laughed "you caught my new friend on her way out?"

"She was thrilled to see me" Eskel prompted.

"I accidentally knocked into her on my way in" Geralt explained "she wouldn't back off until I apologised to her".

"Did you?" Eskel asked in disbelief.

Geralt took a swig of ale before nodding "what can I say? She stood her ground and didn't so much as flinch at the fact that I'm a witcher".

"Well she didn't seem any calmer on her way to get her horse so I doubt you made a very convincing apology" Eskel laughed.


	2. Reluctance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eskel and the reader cross paths again.

\----

You ran along the bank of the river, giggling as you ran from your chaser. The fact that you could hear the laughter from them, told you that they weren't far behind you. Putting more effort into your running, you hoped to beat them to the house.

A quick glance over your shoulder showed that you'd gained some distance and it spurred you further. As your destination came in sight though you stopped. So suddenly in fact that you were ran into from behind and knocked to the ground. "Y/n, what are you doing?" 

Tears filled your eyes as you stared at the house before you. Your racing heart thrummed in your ears and your chest constricted painfully. How could this have happened? Who would do such a thing?

\----

Sitting up with a gasp, you pulled yourself from your nightmare. Taking a moment to ground yourself back into reality you calmed your racing heart and assured yourself that your lungs were working just fine. Knowing that you wouldn't get back to sleep for a while - nor did you want to - you swung your feet over the side of the bed and grabbed your night robe from the chair beside your bed.

The first rays of morning sunshine were beginning to peak through your kitchen window as you went outside to get some fresh air. The coldness wrapped around you, making you pull your robe tighter to you. Stepping out from your house, you made your way over to the small garden that always helped to calm you. Leaning over to inhale the calming scent of lavender.

No sooner had you stood up though, did something come hurtling towards you and pinning you to the ground. Fighting against the hold that had you pinned you let out a growl of frustration. As you focused you recognised one of the witcher's from earlier in the tavern. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

You continued to push against his hold but he held you firm and moved to cover your mouth with his hand. Outrage flew through you and you bit down on his hand. He let out a small grunt of pain and moved his hand away. You were about to yell at him once more when something flew over the top of you both. 

Eyes wide in shock, you watched as the beast circled in the air, seemingly looking for something, before finding a target and diving. The target turned out to be the other witcher from before and the beast's claws clashed with the witcher's sword.

"Stay down, stay quiet" the witcher above you warned before he stood and moved to join his companion. Knowing that it would be stupid to do otherwise, you did as he said. Watching in awe as the two men fought the beast. The man who'd tackled you got to the scene just in time to shove the beast away from his companion who was trying to fend off it's vicious looking claws.

You'd never seen anything like it before. As witcher fought beast it almost had a hypnotic grace to it. Their movements so swift and flawless it almost looked like a dance. Soon enough, the witcher's gained the upper hand and the beast was bought the ground. It let out a final screech before it's head was lopped from it's body.

Figuring it was alright to stand, you did so, continuing to watch the witcher's. They spoke with each other before moving over to you. "I'm uh, sorry for, uh" the one who'd tackled you scratched at the scars on his face in what seemed like a nervous habit "had to get you out of the way".

"It was at least for more reason than your friend barreling into me" you glanced at the white haired one "and you at least have the good manners to apologise afterwards". The man simply grinned in response to your comment before looking back to his friend.

Noticing where he was looking, you realised blood was trickling down the palm of the brunettes hand. "Oh um, sorry for biting you" you felt a little nervous now "I have some dressing in the house if you want?"

"It will be fine" he assured you, rubbing the palm over his trousers.

Upon hearing laughter from his friend you turned back to the white haired witcher "did she bite you?" He let out another laugh "no injuries at all from the griffin but you get hurt by some woman". 

It irritated you how he called you 'some woman' like you were so insignificant and you instantly felt angry again. "well this 'woman'" you spoke sarcastically "is going to return to the warmth now. You may join so I can dress your hand" you told the brunette before turning back to the other one "you may wait out in the cold". Not waiting to hear any further comments you turned and walked towards your door.

\---

Eskel had never seen anybody speak to Geralt so confidently before. He had to admit, he found it particularly amusing. Normally, he would've turned down the woman's offer to dress his wound but the look on Geralt's face was priceless so he followed her inside. The last thing Eskel looked at before entering the house was Geralt opening and closing his mouth in shock.

"I'll just go and get some dressing for that" the woman said over her shoulder before disappearing into the next room. Eskel looked around the small room he was stood in curiously. There was the bare minimum as far as furniture was concerned. A single chair, a small table and a counter for preparing food. There was nothing in the room that made it look homely as such, no paintings, no trinkets, nothing. 

The woman returned quickly with a bowl with water and a cloth and a piece of fabric presumably for dressing the wound. "If you want to sit down" the woman nodded at the single chair. Eskel did as she said "what was that thing out there?" she initiated a conversation as she took hold of his hand and turned it palm up "and I'm not talking about your companion".

Eskel let out a small laugh at the comment. "It was a griffin" he informed her simply "I'm shocked you'd not heard of it being around, all of the town seems to know".

"I don't really have much to do with the people in town" she answered distractedly as she wiped at the small marks across his hand. The wound had already begun to heal and likely wouldn't need the dressing but he allowed her to continue.

"How come?" he found himself curious about the woman once again.

"People are just disappointments waiting to happen" she finished wiping away the blood "so why bother?" Dropping the cloth back into the bowl she turned his hand about in her own, inspecting the injury "huh? It looked worse than this with all the blood".

"I heal fast" Eskel offered in way of explanation before she let go of his hand and turned to place the bowl on the small counter. 

"I suppose that's helpful in your line of work" she commented. Eskel was still a little amazed at how upfront she was with what she said. Most people daren't speak to him this way. She glanced out of the window above the counter and smirked slightly "I do believe your friend is growing impatient".

Eskel stood and walked over to glance out of the window to see Geralt glaring at the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He'd pulled up his hood against the rain that had begun to fall and looked totally miserable.  
\---

You glanced at the man from the corner of your eye as he subconsciously scratched at the scars along his face again. A small smile came over the face before you turned your attention back to the miserable witcher outside. As you met his eyes you couldn't help the childish little wave you shot his way. He rolled his eyes at you before turning away.

The man scoffed beside you "ah, poor Geralt, he's used to it being the other way around". 'Geralt' you assigned the name to the man outside before realising you'd not even asked the man beside you what his name was before inviting him into your house. 

"I'm not sure why, you're the more preferable choice of the two" you spoke without thinking. Upon realising the man was looking at you wide a raised eyebrow you turned and moved for the door. "Well, it's been fun and all but I'm going to get back to bed now" you told the man. 

"Of course" he strolled over to the door as she opened it. "Thank you for" he waved his hand in the air. You were still amazed at how quickly it seemed to have healed. He strolled through the door before stopping and turning to face her "it's a shame you don't let people know you, not everyone is disappointing".

Looking away from him you nervously rubbed your neck "yeah well, goodbye..." she remembered that she still didn't know his name.

"Eskel" he supplied with a slight smile.

"Eskel" you gave a slight nod before closing the door.


	3. Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reader reflects on Eskel's advice and figures maybe it is worth a try.

In the days that followed your encounter with the witcher's you found yourself dwelling on the encounter. More than anything else you found yourself irritated by this. Why should you give a damn. You knew deep down that if even those who were pushed away by society told you to give people a chance, maybe you were being too severe. But how were you supposed to change what was essentially the way you'd lived your whole life.

\------

Tears streamed down your face as you vaguely realised you had walked to the burning house. You wanted to call out for your mother but your lips were cold and uncooperative. Time seemed to come and go at different speeds with each blink of your eyes. Standing over what was now only a pile of smoldering ashes you weren't sure what to do. 

At 9 years old there weren't really many options. Diaval? Blinking a few times you turned around in search for your friend. But he was gone. He'd left you stood there as your family burned. Sniffling slightly you rubbed at your eyes before turning and wandering into town.

People stopped and stared at the young ash covered girl as she walked past but none of them moved to help her. They whispered and pointed. They looked away as soon as her eyes found them. Nobody wanted to help.

Finally, you got to Diaval's house and strolled into the small garden where your friend sat with his mother and father. They were smiling to each other as they huddled around something. "Diaval?" your voice was hoarse from crying.

\------

Shaking your head in a pointed effort to redirect your thoughts back to your surroundings. "I'd like to see your wares please" you spoke simply as you stood before the town merchant. He looked up to you as if he was shocked that you'd spoken. In all fairness this was the first time that you'd ever come to his stall. "I'm looking for som-"

"I don't have anything for you" the merchant cut you off. Your mouth hung open in shock before you composed your face once more. Looking to the merchant at the next stall you caught her quickly look away from you and turn to make herself look busy. 

So much for trying. "Whatever" you scoffed before turning and pulling your hood back over your head. You didn't need them anyway, you were perfectly self-sufficient. Although the locals might not have much desire to converse with you, you'd figured they'd at least accept your trade.

Not bothering to look back again you mounted your horse and left the town.

====

Eskel and Geralt had gone their separate ways after the griffin contract. Every so often though, Eskel found himself thinking back to the woman they'd encountered. A woman who presented herself as such a strong and confident person. But he could sense a deep sadness that surrounded her. 

He wasn't really sure why he thought about her at all. He crossed paths with plenty of people on the Path. Pushing the thoughts aside, he made his way back into town, trophy slung over his shoulder as he went to collect his payment. 

====

That night you felt uneasy in your home. Some sort of instinct was setting off alarms throughout your body. Sleep wouldn't come and you'd found yourself sat before your fire with your cloak pulled tight around you. A shiver went down your spine and you found yourself glancing out of the window. 

What you saw had you squinting in confusion and standing to get a better look. As you realised what you'd seen, you raced for your bed to grab the small dagger that you kept stored there. The noise of the approaching trouble reached you next and you knew you needed to be quick. 

Grabbing a bag, you slung a few changes of clothes and other essentials in before rushing to grab some food from the larder. As you stuffed the final piece of fruit in, a banging came on your door. Startled despite having expected it, you froze. Seconds later a second banging came "we know you're in there witch" a shout followed.

Witch? You thought in confusion as you snapped yourself out of it, moving carefully towards the back of your house. It wasn't as though they had come to talk with you. The best thing you could do was get out and get away. You hoped that they hadn't taken the time to go to the small overhang where your horse was stalled. 

Every step closer to the door had your heart rate increasing. The banging on the door soon increased and you realised they were going to knock down the door. Not wasting any more time you ran for the door, relieved to find nobody there and jumped on your horse, not bothering with any tack. 

As you set off in the opposite direction you glanced over your shoulder to see the torches from the villagers rounding the side of your house and spotting you. "Come on boy" you urged on your horse as you turned away from the house you were leaving behind.

\---

Eskel told himself that the only reason he had come back here was because there seemed to be a good chance at another contract. It had nothing to do with the woman who'd not even given her name. As he rode out of the woods he stopped Scorpion and stared in shock. The house he'd been stood inside not a few months earlier was now no more than a blackened ruin in the grass. What had happened?

Riding further into town he didn't even check the notice board before talking to one of the locals "what happened to the woman who lived near the edge of the woods?"

The man gave him a brief glare before answering "was a witch that one" he continued to put out his wares for selling.

"A witch?" Eskel asked dubiously.

"Aye" the man nodded "came into town and put a curse on us. Local farmin' lad said his crops were infested with bugs soon after. Work of a witch that". The man seemed completely unbothered by the fact the town had accused the woman. "We all got together that night to sort her out, but she ran. So we cleansed the ground instead in hopes of gettin' rid of any curses and what not".

Eskel couldn't believe it. These idiots had ran an innocent woman out of town because of some stupid rumour? "Any idea where she went?" he asked.

The man shrugged "there ain't no contract for her Witcher. Not our town's problem any more" with than the man turned away, indicating that the conversation was over. Eskel shook his head at the man before turning and thinking what to do next.

\-----

Diaval turned to look at you first and looked as though he was going to say something before his mother stepped forward "you got no business here little girl. Be on your way". A frown crossed your face at her harshness and you looked to your friend in question.

"You were s'posed to deal with her" his father shook his head at the boy. As he moved, you spotted what it was that they had been gathered around when you arrived. A small chest that you would recognise anywhere, the familiar engraved leaves ran up the sides of the chest. Noticing where you were looking, the father moved to block your view once more "nothing here for you girl".

Confusion filled your head as you wondered what they were doing with the chest. Maybe they'd rescued it from the fire? Maybe they'd even rescued your parents? "You were there?" you asked "did you save mother and father? Are they here?" The small slither of hope was quickly quashed at the mother's harsh laugh.

"We've not been anywhere near your parents silly girl" she gazed coldly at you "we've been home with Diaval all morning".

Your frown deepened as you looked back to your friend "Diaval was with me?"

"He was with us" the father placed his hand on the boy's shoulder "weren't you boy?" Diaval glanced at you only briefly before looking at the ground and nodding. "See" the father grinned victoriously "now leave us be". He stood glaring at you until you grew uncomfortable and turned and walked away with new tears in your eyes.

\-----

You often thought back to the first betrayal in your life, wondering if you had done something to deserve it. But what could a child possibly do to another to earn such a betrayal? No, it was much simpler than that. People were greedy, selfish and evil. They had seen something they wanted and did an unspeakable thing to get it. No care for the consequences.

The position you were in now was somewhat the same as then. A town who'd cast you out on your own. At least this time you were older and more prepared to face the challenges of such an exile. You set small traps to catch meat and knew which berries to eat and not. Firelight kept most predators away during the night and provided some warmth from the cold. There was even a small stream not far from the little clearing you had made your camp.

None of that helped when it came to other people though. Your first run in had been a little over a week since you'd fled town. A man saw a lone woman and figured her to be an easy target. He had been proven wrong though when you'd attacked him with the small blade you'd grabbed before leaving your house. With a mixture of anger and shock in his eyes as he grabbed his cut arm, he'd retreated back to wherever he'd came.

A few weeks later whilst you'd been collecting water from the stream, somebody had found your camp and stolen your horse and what food you had stored. It broke your heart to lose Bramble but you at least hoped that they would be able to feed him better than you had. The loneliness had set in quite harshly following his loss though.

As you pulled your somewhat thin cloak closer to your body, you huddled closer to the fire in hopes that it would fend off the biting cold. It was barely past harvest time and you were starting to worry about the coming winter. Food would be harder to come by, snow would come and the cold would gnaw away at your bones.

The snap of a twig behind you sent a jolt up your spine and pulled you from your mind. Remaining quiet you listened for any other noises. You'd almost convinced yourself it was fine when they appeared from out the trees. Standing up you pulled your knife from your side. "That little poker ain't gonna do you no good this time" a familiar man leered.

Turning around you counted a total of 5 men. "What do you want?" you glared at the man from before defiantly "I don't have anything to give you".

"Well I wouldn't say that poppet" one of the other men grinned wickedly and you shivered involuntarily. Without wasting any more time you bolted. Hoping that they would at least be surprised enough that you'd get a head start. Darting through the trees and hedges headfirst you could hear them coming crashing after you. Branches and thorns scratched at you as you pushed through but your adrenaline had you barely feeling it. You had to get away.

A small clearing appeared and you hoped that this would be your chance for a quick sprint to get some distance between you and the men but something wrapped around your ankles and you were falling seconds later. Your dagger lay out of reach in front of you.

Pulling desperately at the bolas they'd caught you with you were soon grabbed by one of the men. "Let's have a proper look at you then" he smirked even as you tried to punch and claw at his face. He grabbed your arms and pinned them down to your sides as he pulled you back into his chest.

His friends soon emerged into the clearing too. "She's a feisty one ain't she" one of them laughed as he came closer to try and touch you. Lifting your still tangled legs you tried to kick him away but he simply caught your legs and held them. With the other man still holding your upper body you were completely trapped.

"Now then" the bandit who had tried to rob you those weeks before came up to you "let's see what's under these clothes" he reached for the front of your dress and you writhed desperately to get away from him. A scream of anger and desperation left your lips as you continued to fight against what was happening. The man tugged at your dressed and ripped it open at the front, raising goosebumps across your freshly exposed skin.

He laughed along with his friends as he moved to touch you, but his hand stopped before he could. You frowned in confusion as you turned to face what he was staring at. But it wasn't a what, it was a who. "Let her go now" he growled out as he glared at each man in turn. Your legs were released and you landed with a thud, supported only by the man behind you for a moment.

"Piss off witcher" the man behind you grabbed your arms tighter and you knew it would bruise "this ain't nothing to do with you".

===

The woman met his eyes and Eskel could see how scared she actually was. Without having to give it any more thought he moved to the first man and quickly cut him down. Two of them turned and ran soon after but the man who held her and another of them stood their ground. "Last chance" Eskel warned as he slowly walked closer to them.

"Why you so bothered about this random bitch anyway" one of the men scowled "if you want your turn you could've just waited". The comment irritated him even more and he soon had the man who'd said it bleeding out on the ground. As he turned to deal with the final man, he shoved the woman into his chest and ran for it. Eskel was careful not to catch the woman with his blade as he stopped her from falling to the ground.

He could feel her shaking and felt an urge to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. The thought alone had him wondering why so he ignored the urge and simply held her arms to keep her steady whilst she regained her balance. She was quick to pull her thin cloak around her to hide the exposed flesh of her chest. "Are you alright?" he knew it was a dumb question soon after he'd said it.

She met his eyes briefly before looking away and nodding a few times "I'm fine" she mumbled "thanks". Despite her attempts at putting on a brave front, he could hear her rapid heart and noticed that she still stood quite close to him.

"Come on" he stepped back and nodded in the direction he'd come from "I've got some dressing back at my camp" he remembered her caring for his own wound.

"It's alright" she tried to refuse the offer "it's just a few small cuts from the trees".

"Please" Eskel fixed her with a pointed look "let me help you". She frowned as he said that, as if the idea of somebody wanting to help her was a conundrum. When he didn't retract the offer she eventually sighed and nodded in agreement. Eskel offered a reassuring smile before turning to lead her back to his camp.


	4. Admittance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eskel cares for reader and they both admit a few things.

You'd followed him back to his camp in silence. Despite your stomach churning at the thought of what almost happened to you and a shaking in your knees, you pushed on until you arrived at a small area between two large trees. "Take a seat" Eskel nodded at an upturned log that was providing a make shift chair. 

Sitting down on the stool in silence you watched as Eskel grabbed some things from his pack and came to kneel in front of you. "Why are you helping me?" you had to ask as he poured some water onto a cloth and motioned towards your face. You nodded in approval of him continuing, still awaiting an answer.

"You helped me" he reasoned as he gently bought the cloth to your face and started wiping the blood from the small cuts.

"Because that was my fault" you replied. He remained quiet as he continued to clean up your face. Realising you wouldn't get anywhere with the question you sighed and held your cloak tightly around your body to cover your ruined dress. 

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Eskel asked as he remained knelt before you. You shook your head and he stood back up and returned to his pack. He was quickly back in front of you, holding out a plain shirt "I'll give you a minute" you took the shirt from him and he turned and headed out of the fire's light. 

Trusting that he wasn't some kind of creep, you removed your cloak. Thankfully, the skirt of your dress remained intact, so after securing it around your waist you tore the ruined top away. Soon after, you had the shirt thrown over your head and your cloak thrown back over your shoulders. It was a relief to feel safely covered once more. "I'm done" you called out quietly. 

He reappeared a moment later and moved to sit by the fire "are you hungry?" When you turned to look at him he was already holding a bowl of something out to you.

"Thank you" you took the bowl and reveled in the warmth that seeped into your hands. Silence hung over the two of you as you wolfed down the food. Normally the silence would bother you but for reasons you couldn't quite understand yet, Eskel didn't make you uncomfortable unlike most people did.

"Better?" he asked as you placed the bowl beside you on the ground. You nodded in reply. "Where were you camped?" Of course you weren't going to stay, you had to get back to your own little camp.

"A little south of where you found me" you told him "I should probably stop bothering you" you stood to leave but he stood too and held out a hand to stop you. 

"I didn't mean for you to leave" he stood with his hand slightly held towards you, as if approaching a flightly animal "I was actually looking for you".

"You were-" you frowned "looking for me? Why?" You had no idea how he even knew you'd left the town, let alone that you would be here. 

"I..." he opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly regretting having said anything in the first place. "I was passing by your home, saw that it was burned down. One of the townsfolk told me what they did". 

Instantly you stepped away from him, weighing up how far you'd get if you ran "they're lying, I'm not a witch". You watched him warily, waiting for any sign of him trying to grab you. But why save somebody if you were going to kill them after?

"What?" his face scrunched up slightly in confusion before realisation showed "I'm not here to kill you".

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm not sure" he answered too quickly for it to be a lie. The two of you stood there regarding each other for a few heavy moments before he spoke again. "You haunt my thoughts". You had no idea why he'd even remember you, he must encounter plenty of people in his travels. But then again, hadn't you thought of him too? "I'm sorry, this isn't normal, you've been through a lot and I should just-"

"Eskel" you stopped him from continuing with his panic driven rambling. "I..." when you met his eyes you felt your confidence waiver slightly. "I thought of you too" you confessed. Once you'd told him that you weren't sure it was such a good idea. Now you were both stood wondering what was happening here. He rubbed at the scars on his cheek and looked away from your eyes.

Slowly lowering yourself back onto your seat you stared into the dancing flames. From your peripheral vision you watched Eskel sit down once more. "You said that not all people were disappointing" you spoke quietly "in my whole life, you are the first person I've met that seems even remotely like they won't be disappointing". You continued to stare at the fire, despite feeling him watching you. 

"I'm sorry that anybody let you down" he answered "unfortunately not everyone is kind" he paused "but it means that the ones who are stand out more". 

"And you think me a kind person?" you turned to him with a raised brow "if I remember correctly I was incredibly rude to you".

He laughed slightly "Geralt has that effect on people". You were relieved at the slightly lightened mood. "And you allowed me into your home. Tended to my wound. Despite the fact that you didn't know me. That's more kindness than most would show".

"Again. I did cause the injury" you pointed out with a slight smile.

He rolled his eyes at you and shook his head "well I did knock you down".

"We'll call it even I suppose" you held his eyes for a moment before looking away.

"Not yet we won't" he told you and had you meeting his eyes once more "you know my name but never gave me yours".

You scoffed at him before replying "Y/n". 

"Well Y/n" he smiled "now that we're all evened up I suggest we get some sleep". You thought about declining the offer but realised that despite your lightened mood you were still a little uneasy about the idea of being alone. What if those men returned? Pushing the thought to the back of your mind you nodded and moved to lay so that your cloak was under you.

Closing your eyes you heard Eskel moving around on the other side of the fire before feeling something being placed over you. Keeping your eyes closed you secretly enjoyed the added warmth. "Good night Y/n" Eskel spoke so quietly that you almost missed it before he returned to his place near the fire.

Who knew what the next day would bring. But at least for now you felt safe for the first time in a long time.

\---

You woke the next morning as the sun shone through the trees. Sitting upright, you stretched out your arms and let out a satisfied sigh. After rubbing a hand over your face you looked around the camp to where Eskel had been last night, only to find him gone. Standing with a frown, you turned to survey the rest of the small camp. His belongings were still here but his horse and he were gone. Did something happen in the night? Maybe he'd realised how strange the whole situation was and fled.

Rubbing your arm nervously, you moved to the dwindling fire and stoked it back to life before placing a few more logs on it. You paced back and forth for a while as you thought over what to do next. If he had fled there was no reason for you to hand around. Just as you were about to give up and leave the sound of hooves reached your ears. Eskel came into the small clearing and dismounted his horse, giving you a small nod as a greeting.

"I thought you might've left" you confessed.

He frowned at your statement before replying "why would I do that?" You shrugged. He moved to his saddlebag before retrieving something from it and walking over to you. In his hand was your dagger which you'd dropped the night before "thought you might want this back". A small smile graced your lips at the thought of him going out to retrieve it for you and you gratefully reached out for it. As your fingers brushed against his you felt a stupid urge to blush but shoved it straight to the back of your mind.

"Thank you Eskel" you gave him a small nod as you tucked the blade into the waist of your skirt. You both stood looking at each other a moment longer before he moved away to start gathering his things. "If you didn't plan on leaving then what do you plan on doing?" you figured you should try and figure out where the two of you stood. He hesitated momentarily before continuing to roll up his bed mat.

"You could- I mean if you wanted - you could..." he sighed as he turned back around to face you "you could stay with me if you want?" You could tell that it had taken him a fair bit of doing to say. Chewing on your lip you considered the offer and weighed it up against the few other options you had.

"I wouldn't want to be a burden" you began and as you watched his face fall you knew he was taking it as a rejection "so if I did then you would need to think of a way that I might be useful". The relief in his eyes made you feel happy for some reason.

"How are you at hunting?" he asked with a smile.

"I can hold my own" you smiled back "though I'll admit I've been relying more on traps than a bow lately".

"Well that won't do" he laughed softly "we will have to find you a bow as fast as possible". Despite the enormity of what the two of you were actually planning on doing, you felt eased by the jovial mood.

"I will let you deal with whatever merchant you plan on getting one off" you scoffed "I've had quite enough of people for a while".

"There you go with that cynicism" Eskel laughed jokingly "it may surprise you to know that you are not as repellent as you think".

"My, my what a compliment" you chuckled "but I think you'll find my track record would prove you wrong".

"Of course" he continued to pack up his few things "why would somebody deal with you when it is well known how much everyone loves Witcher's".

You scoffed as you moved to help pack items into the saddlebags "I'm going to blame that one. on the likes of your friend Geralt, the man has no manners what so ever".

"You're still not letting that one go are you?" he finished buckling up the bag.

"Absolutely not" you smirked "he has yet to give me a genuine apology".


	5. Reasonless

Over the past couple of weeks, you and Eskel had fell into a comfortable sort of routine. He had picked up a contract on a nest of Nekkers and earnt enough coin to get you a bow. You had put up quite the protest about him spending his coin on it at first but he'd insisted that it was going to be useful for him not to have to hunt himself for a while. 

And so you busied yourself hunting for food whilst Eskel looked about for contracts. It was nice after the time you'd spend alone to have somebody to talk to again. Neither one of you had revisited the subject of how or why you were together though. It seemed better not to ask for now. 

Sitting beside the small lake you washed and prepared the deer you'd caught earlier, lost in the process of it all and practically tasting the meat already. It was a good kill and would tide you over for at least a week. Humming a tune to yourself you didn't hear Eskel approach until he was sitting at your side. "It isn't often you see a woman so happy whilst butchering an animal" he commented.

You gave him a quick glance before shaking your head at him "you should know by now that I am no typical woman". You finished removing the hide and stood to rinse it off "besides, with winter approaching we will struggle to find the food as easily". As you stood up to your knees in the water you ignored the way it soaked into the bottom of your newly acquired trousers.

"That's something I've been meaning to mention" Eskel said. You hummed for him to continue as you continued your work "I normally head back to Kaer Morhen for the winter". As the words reached your ears you felt your heart lurch at the thought of parting ways with him. Silence fell over you as you waited for him to say that he was leaving you soon. "Are you alright?" he picked up on the tenseness in your body.

Turning to face him you made sure to keep your face composed "of course" you forced a smile "why wouldn't I be?" If the small frown on his face was anything to go by, you'd been less that convincing. With a sigh you turned back away from him so that it was easier to speak "it will be easier to feed just one I suppose. Half the mouths to feed half the food needed".

"Y/n" Eskel spoke up but you continued your mumbling.

"If I can find some more good kills like this then I can smoke the meat so that it will last longer too".

"Y/n" Eskel placed a hand on your shoulder and spun you around. You noted that he was also getting his trousers soaked now "I want you to come with me".

"To Kaer Morhen?" you asked, disbelief filling your mind.

"Yes" he nodded "I had hoped by now that you would know I wouldn't abandon you so easily". Looking away from his eyes you fought back the tears that wanted to fill your eyes. "Hey" he gently held your chin to turn you back to him "what's wrong?"

"I just... Why are you so kind to me? Everybody always leaves me and I feel like I'm just waiting for you to do the same". Your confession caught him off guard for a moment before he was pulling you into a hug. Something about it felt instantly calming to you and you felt yourself melting into him. 

"I am not going to leave you Y/n" he spoke softly "I feel like fate would pull me back to you regardless". Despite neither of you knowing what the connection was about you understood exactly what he meant. "I don't have reason for it but I can't stand the thought of not being with you Y/n". 

Moving your head from his chest you glanced up at him to find him looking at you with a vulnerable look in his eyes. You knew it wasn't easy to lay it all out like he had just done and felt that it was only right you take a chance in return. Before you could talk yourself out of it you were moving forward and gently pressing your lips to his. 

There was a moment of hesitation before he began to kiss you back. The kiss was so gentle and yet you could feel the emotion that was fueling it like a fire. When you broke apart you smiled softly up at him. "I have no reason either Eskel, but I know that I need you in my life now". He returned your smile and brushed his thumb over your cheek affectionately.

"Reason's be damned then" he told you. 

"Reason's be damned" you repeated before burying your face into his shoulder once more.


	6. Arrival

Walking through the gates of Kaer Morhen had your heart racing. The sight was both impressive and intimidating but you most of all worried over those it housed. Not because they were Witcher's of course, but because if they didn't like you - Geralt already had reservations - then would it make Eskel question being with you? 

Eskel strolled up to the door to the keep alongside you before stopping "hold on a moment, I forgot something". With that he set of jogging back towards the stables and you were stood chewing your lip anxiously. Just when you were debating turning to follow after Eskel, the door to the keep opened. 

The Witcher who had opened it froze and looked at you in confusion "who the fuck are you?"

Your nerves were pushed aside in an instant and your fiercer side emerged "how wonderful, another ill mannered witcher".

"Excuse me?" he looked outraged at your comment before the door was pulled fully open and a familiar face appeared.

"Geralt, I see now where you learnt your etiquette" you allowed a very slight upward tug at the corner of your mouth. Before he had time to grace you with a response, Eskel returned.

"Eskel, who the Hel is this woman?" the witcher you didn't know asked him "and why do you already know her?" he realised and turned to Geralt. 

"Maybe we talk when we're not stood out in the cold" you suggested and Eskel laughed lightly before nodding in agreement and taking your hand to push past his fellow witchers. Said witchers trailed behind the two of your silently. Soon enough you were stood by a strong fire, warming your hands as you kept your back to the group.

"So what's going on?" Geralt asked Eskel.

"Y/n and I hav-"

"Oh, so she finally graced you with a name?" Geralt scoffed.

"Look, I know you two got off to a shaky start but maybe try a little less hostility" Eskel said. You turned to shoot a childish grin at Geralt but Eskel pointed at you "you too Y/n".

"Me? Hostile?" you placed a hand on your chest "where would you get such an idea Eskel?" He shook his head at you with a slight smile and you grinned back at him.

"Does somebody want to fill me in here?" the other witcher spoke up. 

"Y/n is with me" Eskel shrugged as if it was obvious "so she's here to winter with me".

"Wait..." Geralt jumped back in "with you as in... with you?" You rolled your eyes at the comment and turned back to the fire. "Last I remembered she was biting you".

"Kinky" Lambert laughed.

"What is a lady supposed to do when tackled to the ground by a stranger?" you asked with a shrug "besides, I fixed it".

"And what did Geralt do to upset you?" the other witcher asked.

You scoffed playfully "you mean besides practically barging me out of the way as he entered the tavern".

"I didn't know you were there" Geralt scowled.

"You also didn't know how to apologise afterwards" you shot back. A quick glance at the other witcher and you could see that he was thoroughly enjoying the drama. You and Geralt meanwhile found yourselves engaged in a glaring contest. Eskel sighed before moving to block him from your view. 

"Why don't I show you around a little?" he offered.

"Oh, but she only just got here" the other witcher whined playfully.

"This idiot's Lambert by the way" Eskel began to walk you to the door and gave a dismissive wave over his shoulder as he introduced his fellow witcher. 

"A pleasure" Lambert called after you with a grin before turning to look at Geralt.


End file.
